Been a while...

I didn't realize its been so long since I updated.  I started a family website and its my homepage so I tend to update that alot more.  The holidays were so busy! We had a company party to go to and he was gone so I had to go alone and then a spouse gift exchange then a realtor Christmas party and then our own, then Christmas and then my birthday.  Everything went great though.  I missed my family and his girls terribly during the holidays but we spent it with friends so it wasn't alone.  Angel enjoyed being spoiled that's for sure! 

There's really not alot new going on.  I got a job teaching English at a Korean school that starts next month.  It will be only 20 hours a week but its what I came over here wanting to do and was disapointed when I was not contacted by any agenices cause of the area we are in.  I am quite excited and nervous!

I think we have decided when we leave here to request Savannah, GA.  We decided against VA do to recent changes made there.  It would be a pain for Patrick. So after talking and wanting to stay on the East coast our choices are very limited.  But I hear Savannah is beautiful.  Things might change in the next year but he's probably making the call the start the ball rolling next month.

I really cannot believe I have been here a year.  Or gone for a year from home.  It really breaks my heart that my beautiful little niece doesn't know me. I just love her so much! I think of all the silly little things she does everytime I visit like burying me in newspaper and sharing icecream so we have it all over our face. When I finally get home she'll be like oh your that crazy aunt sending all the packages. hehe.  I miss the bugger so much.  I actually cry when I write about her or if she gets on the phone when I call Lindsey.  She just knows how to pull the heart strings that's for sure!

Life is good in Korea.  This year has went by so fast. As much as I miss family and friends, I have enjoyed it over here.  I am sure the next year is going to go by fast too.  And I can say I lived in Asia for 2 years and actually traveled outside the US.  I got to learn another culture and experience another country.  This adventure will forever stay with me.  Not to mention I am more in love with Patrick then ever.  He is truely the best thing to ever happen to me.  We have gotten closer then ever and actually enjoyed a whole year of marriage together!

Well I guess I am closing.  I will work on updating more.  Stop by the family website at www.familylobby.com/croff.  More soon!

Well...

Just an update about the typhoon on monday.  It ended up downgrading to a tropical storm and we weren't hit too bad at all.  It was in the middle of the night and I don't remember much.  Maybe a little thunder and lightening but that's all I remember.  So I was happy.  Then tomorrow we were suppose to get hit again really bad.  China is getting hit by like a category 4.  But over night its shifted to hit North Korea and only suppose to be tropical storm.  Thank goodness.  Never dealing with hurricanes before and then having 2 hit back to back kind of freaked me out.  Is this some kind of hurricane season or something! We're like 20 minutes from the ocean or something so I've heard so we could get hit pretty good.  So I ready for whatever storm season this is to be over!

And on to something else.  I have a funny story to share.  Monday my neighbor came down to chat and look through cookbooks.  No sooner did she get down here there was some Korean women knocking on my window.  Marie is like do you want me to let her in?  And when Marie came down our front door was open and we closed it cause it's locked so people can't come in and we're like crap she must be working on the building and we locked her out.  So she went to let her in and she comes back to my door and she's like this lady is wanting to talk to you I guess.  So I open the door holding Angel and she speaks pretty good English.  She says she looking for work.  She's moving and really needs the money.  She cleans the house and babysits Americans and they all had left.  I try to be nice and am like how much do you charge.  I am a clean freak and the house is hardly ever messy but I just nice person and willing to help someone out.  Well she asks me to put Angel in the bedroom cause she is scared so complied. Well she came in and started talking and looking around the house.  Marie and I are just looking at each other like wth???  Well she insults us both asking if we are pregnant and saying all Americans eat too much and are fat.  Which I know she didn't mean to insult.  Koreans are just alot smaller then Americans in height and weight.  Well she said it would be 60, 000 won to clean the house and I told her I had to talk to my husband. Really I wasn't interested and wanted to get her to leave.  Well she's still hanging around and talking and asks for my plastic grocery bags and I am like sure take them.  Then she notices the dishes and Marie and I both are like we hate washing dishes.  She says anytime after a party she would come wash them for us.  Then she goes in there and starts washing my dishes!  Marie and I are like OMG!  I was like no money.  Husband keeps all the money.  She was like its ok and points to my freezer and asks for pork.  I was like uh ok...how about pound of beef.  She's like okay.  And she continues washing my dishes.  By this time we are scared to death she's going to ask for money and we don't have any.  So Marie goes in the kitchen and is like we are leaving to go to Osan and she just kept on washing.  She asks for hot peppers and marie gets her some roasted red peppers she has but she tasted them and didn't like them.  Well I gave her hot sauce and she liked that.  I come in the living room and finish the email to a friend down the road and I was like there's a Korean woman in my house and she won't leave.  Well Erica thought I was kidding and she was like I will be right up.  Well she came in and we all 3 just stare at the Korean woman doing my dishes.  Well then Patrick calls.  And I told him what was going on.  And he was like call the realtor and tell her and have her translate you don't have any money and need her to leave.  Well turns out he gets off the phone with me and goes and tells everyone in his class about the Korean woman not leaving and everyone thinks its funny.  Well by this time I go in and I am like no more you did enough.  You can go home now.  She's like almost finished.  I was like okay then no more okay, you go home.  She was like okay.  So I get a bag and put her hamburger in it and hot sauce and Erica gathers up the rest of her stuff and we hold it out to her.  She sees my hamburger buns and asks for some and I was like sure here and put them in the bag (they were left over from the BBQ and going bad soon and we had no use for them) She gives me her number and then finally leaves.  We are all like omg!  What was up with that.  Erica is like why did you let her in your house. And Marie and I are like she was really nice and she just kind of wiggled her way in.  We got a good laugh out of the "crazy Korean woman who did my dishes and wouldn't leave"  I even told Kacey who almost peed her pants laughing.  I understand why she did the dishes she wanted to make an impression so I might give her work.  And I know some American foods are cheaper then what they can buy and she wanted some American stuff.  I honestly didn't mind helping out.  I live in the culture and things are so different.  She had maple leaves to boil and eat.  I am sure she couldn't afford a pound of Hamburger so maybe that night her and her husband could have a good meal.  Patrick and I talked about letting her clean the house once a week if she went down in the price a little.  He's always working and can never help out so he feels thats his way of helping out and his chore is dishes so he was all excited not to have to do the dishes.  I guess if she did come in and do a nice deep clean once a week and I do it the rest of the time I wouldn't feel like I had to clean all the time and everything's dirty and actually get out of the house more and maybe do some volunteer work.  Its a thought, I am not sure.

When we finally got the Korean lady to leave who said her name was Mrs. Kim. We came up with the idea and started joking about growing weeds and making cookies and etc and selling them in the parking lot on market days.  And how we were going to get rich.  We had a good laugh over our get rich scheme.

Well that's about it.  I got to get some cleaning before Cheree gets here with some shoes for me.  hehe.  Update soon.  Love and kisses home!

Typhoon

Friday when I found out we were suppose to be hit it looked like it was going to pass us.  So friday we had hard rain and flooding.  I thought that was it.  But come to find out its going to hit us tomorrow.  And it looked like it was going to miss us but now its shifted.  I called my family to let them know.  If it does hit communication could be shut down for a little while.  And you just never know.  This is my first typhoon.  I am a nervous.  Hell I am scared!  Shaking in my boots!  HA! Check the storm out here:

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/wp200712.html

I will update when I can about the typhoon.  It will probably shift again by tomorrow.  You just can't never tell.

Last night some of the girls came over for a girl's night.  We were drinking pina colda's and strawberry daiquiris.  We were suppose to watch a movie but we talked so much we didn't even watch it.  We all had a blast chit chatting and drinking and laughing.  It was the most fun I have had in  a while and really needed the night with the girls!

Well I am off to do laundry so I have clean panties in case the typhoon hits...heheh!

Woah!

I had a little scare today!  I came home from the grocery store and my friend told me her husband had come home from work and said a typhoon was on it's way to hit us!  I almost freaked out!  I was searching weather sites trying to figure out what was going on since I have only been through a couple tornado's.  But it looks like it will pass up and we'll get rain and wind from it but it's going to hit Japan.  I felt relieved! How scary that would be if we got hit!  Not ready for that!  Shew!

Well yesterday Angel decided to be a brat and tear a newspaper into a zillion pieces. Guess she didn't like the headlines of the Army Times...hehe!

What a mess!  My little troublemaker.  How can you stay mad at that sweet little face!

I went grocery shopping and found 2 hard bound books on sale for .99 I was pretty excited about that.  If they suck oh well only .99. I picked up my niece a dress to send for her Christmas pics (I am hoping) I am excited to see what my sister thinks.  Last dress I sent she wanted to get her pics done in it and it made me feel so good.  Cause I can't be there but I can pick out cute dresses for pics!  Makes me feel like I am doing something!

Oh did I mention I am throwing a baby shower for a friend in the unit.  Its her first baby due in Feb. And the first time I've thrown a shower.  Just about got it planned out though.  Everythings coming together very nice.  I am making her a diaper cake for deco and her present from me.  I have the deco picked out for the party.  A few games.  We're having a diaper raffle.  All I really gotta do is pick out snacks.  And the party isn't until Jan.  I always like to plan ahead though.  Cause I have to order everything from online.  I can't wait to everything ready for it! (She's having a boy) Matthew Ryker

Alright enough boring everyone with my dull life!!  Update soon.  Love and miss all!

Proud!!

This deserved a blog all to its self. Patrick went to promotion board last week. He had to study this big binder and was suppose to undergo all these questions to make sure he was worthy and ready to be a Staff Sgt.  Well he went in the board and the Sgt Maj looked over his ERB and asked him if  he had any  college (no he don't) and was very impressed with his ASVAB scores.  He told him he was a "GD" genius.  He was also impressed with the number of flight medals Patrick had.  The Sgt Maj dismissed Patrick after 7 minutes.  Which of course freaked Patrick out and the Platoon Sgt sitting in taking notes.  Well he PASSED!  He is now considered promotable and just has to complete some points (correspondence classes is one example) to get promoted.  He was promoted strictly on his ERB.  The SGT sitting in told everyone and now Patrick has become some kind of legend in the unit.  They said its something you hear about but never see.  I am so very proud of him.  I've told all my friends. And thought Patrick is getting a little bit of a big head he deserves too!  That is just impressive! When he actually gets promoted I am throwing him a party and going to get him something really nice. No  idea what but he deserves it!  I am glowing with pride and happiness for him.  I almost cried when I got the news!  Goooo Patrick!!!